Piano



Oct. 9, 1928. 1,687,028'

J. T. MAYER Er AL PIANO Filed May 29, 1925 Patented Get. 9, 1928.

UNITED. STATES 1,681,028 PATENT OFFICE;

JULIAN T. MAYER AND EDMOND LEVIS, OF NEW' YORK, AND HERMAN SCHUM, OF

BRONX, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS, BY ML E ASSGNIYIENTS, TO RUDOLPH 'UR-V r'LIIIIZIEIR MFG. C0., OF NORTH TONAlVANB, NEV YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PIANO.

Application led May 29,

This invention relates to pianos, and more particularly to the novel construction of the metal string plate and of the support for thesound board and associated-parts., which obviates all necessity for the part heretofore used, and known as thev piano back.

Objects of our invention are to provide a structure of the character described which iscompact in depth so that when it is employed in an ordinary piano, the piano case may be narrower from front to rear than heretofore and sothat when employed with automatic playing or reproducing mechanism, the whole may be accommodated in a vpiano case which is no deeper from front to rear than the case of the ordinary piano; also to provide a structurewhich gives bet ter musical tone and volume than have been obtainable heretofore, which is cheaper and more economical to manufacture `and which is better adapted to withstand the'effects of rough usage and of'ohanges in climatic conditions.

These and other objects kand advantages of our invention will be apparent from an examination of the accompanying drawings taken in connection with the following de-k scription, of which they form a part. But it will be understood that the particular apparatus shown and described is merely one illustration of our invention, and that many changes within the scope ofthe appended claims may be made withoutl departing from the invention. Y

Fig. 1 isa rear view of a piano embodying our invention, a portion of which has been broken away. Y

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same structure on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings 1 is the metal string plate appropriately designed and reenforced so as to have sufficient strength to keep the strings, 2, in tension and at the same time to provide the chief support for the sound board, 3, and constitute in and of itself the structural backbone of the piano. For this purpose it is provided with forwardly extending ver-y tical langes, 13, at each side and with rearwardly extending flanges, 10 and 11, at the sides and bottom of the string plate, and

192.3. Serial No, 642,159.

with a' rearwardly ext-ending horizontal liange, 12,7; apposite the top of the sound board, 3 Yall preferably cast integral with the stringplate- The flanges. 13, are provided with holes, 14, whereby the string plate, 1, may be rigidly but removably screwed to the vside panels. 4, of the piano. The rearward faces 10a of the flanges, 10, 11 and 12, are preferably so shaped and bevelled that when the sound board, 3, is firmly pressed inposition against them, it tends to assume a convex shape on its top or string side and a corresponding concave. shape on the bottom or rib side of the soundboard. That is to say, the anges are preferably so shaped that while.v at their intersections, they are substantially in a common vertical plane, intermediate their intersections they are thinner and arepreferably bevelled'in the direction of their inner edges so that their rearward surfaces lie substantially in a common sphericalsurface. The resulting tension and permanent crown or dome shape given to the sound board improves the tone of the instrument and gives it enduring musicalr qualities. Very satisfactory resultshave been obtained by beveling` the faces or seats 10St at a small angle to the string-plate 1; or in other words, at an angle of about eighty-seven degrecs to the horizontal.

The means shown for securingl the sound board to the string plate comprise a plural.- ity of channel irons, 5, or angle irons, 6. which are bolted as at 7 through the sound board to the rearward fianges 10, 11,12 of the string plate, The angle irons, 6, at the sides and bottom of the sound board may also be screwed, as at 8, to the corresponding'side panels, 4, and cross beam, 9, respectively of the piano.v The vrearward flanges of the channel and angle irons, 5, 6, are preferably made narrow so as not to unnecessarily increase the depth of the structure as a whole. They serve to equalize the pressure on the edges of the sound board, 3` between bolts, and they also serve to lock thenuts on the bolts, 7, so that the latter are prevented from loosening up and causing rattle. of the nuts corresponds closely to the size of the channel and angle irons so that the nuts are in contact with the rearward flanges It will be seen that the size x of the said irons and cannot turn.V Lock nuts c porated.

may, not course, be used as an additional precaution. l Y

Bythese means` the sound board is satis- `factorily and permanently mounted' on the string plate itselr" and no vadditional means Whatever are necessary or desirable for the purpose. The composite structure comprising string plate", 1, sound board, 3, and channely and angle irons, 5, .6, may be readily assembled Without reference tothe particular piano case in Whiclrit is to be incor- 1t may be built in quantity Vith standard outside dimensions so that it may be interchangeably litted in any one of a number of cases or removed from one case to another byhsimply renmving the sere-urs 8 and 111 and applying them inproper position in the new case. y

Ve preferably provide the upper channelV iron, 5, and the lower angle iron,6, with vertical holesV at convenientlecations for the insertion of thepacking hooks, 15 and 16. These hooks may be secured to the angle orl channel irons by means of nuts, 17, 18, and boltedto the outside ofthe shipping case by means or" the nuts, 19, 20, Whereby the entire piano and particularly the delicate sounding devices supported on the string plate are reliably packed for shipmen-t. A 1 Y Through the use of tuning pins or Wrest pins, 21, such as those Vshown in Letters PatentNo. 1,223,412, granted April 24, 1917, to James AlfredV Murdoclnwe are able to dispense entirely vriththe cumbersome Wrest plank or pin block Whichlias heretofore been. used.

VIn the ordinary piano prior to this invention, it has been customary to build up the .sound `board and string plate structure on a massive timber trame knownas the piano back. The upper part et this piano back carried the Wrest plank vWhile the lower part. constitutedabed for supporting the` sound board and through it the string plate.

Thus `lthe backbone of the piano Was not the string plateA asin our present invention but was the heavy timber piano back, and except for the screws and boltsk supporting the string, plate on the piano back,

the Whole structure Was ordinarily glued together and to the side panelsot .the piano.

VThe presence ofthose glued joints has been a great defect inthat it has made pianos sensitive to changes in climatic con- 'ditions and torough handling in shipment;

Jfurthermore, it has made necessary so much specialwork in cutting, joining and fitting Vin the course of manufacturing individual pianos that Vlarge scalev fabrication of standard sizel interchangeable parts has not been feasible. Various means for overcoming these ditcuties have been suggested but "ings are used or not..

been substitutedrtorV the ordinary massive timber frame, but the fold detects largely persist or new vones take their places, and furthermore the thickness and bulk of the Wrest plank i-tseli have made it impossible to decreasethe depth ot the piano as afWhOle even Where metal frames vWere substituted torivood. 'Y Y 1n our improved structure We have re- V versed the old practice by making the metal string plate the backboneand main struc- Y Y tural support of the piano instead of providing an additional means-tor its support. ille have thus entirelyy eliminated both the cumbersome piano backl andthe bulky wrest plankjthereby cutting down matenot aiiected by climatic conditions Vand it Y is Well adapted to stand hard usage. 1t

makes possible the 'shipment of the piano in knock down form and easy assembly Without the exercise ot unusual skill..V Furthermore our improved piano produces inaterially better tonequalities not only because .ofthe manner of its construction, but also because by reason of the elimination of the' massive timber frame there is nothing in back of the sound Vboard to interfere With the free transmission ofV the sound Waves through the air. l 1t Will be understood that Wooden linings, Y 22, 23, may be inserted between. the-channel or angle irons, 5, 6, and the sound board, 3, or between the sound board, 3, and the rearward flanges, 10,.11,12, of the `string plate, 1, in any Well known Way in order to obtain the desired strength of tone from theinstrument. These linings need not be shaped to give spherical contour to the sound-board as has been necessary in the past, becausek by reason of the shape of the' rearward faces ot the ianges,p10, 11, 12, the sound board will tend Ato assume that. shape When the bolts, 7, arel tightened up Whether the linrEhe* ditlicult matter of especially shaping and fitting these 1inings is avoided by the use of vour invention, the same vresult being, obtained through the casting otourmetal string plate from a specially designed'casting pattern, the plate being afterward milled to standard size and standard shape of rearward flanges. An important advantage ot our invention in this regard is that a predetermined standard tension may be given to the sound board in each piano constructed according to our invention.

{ai/'ing thus described one embodiment of our invention, what we eiaiin as newV and desire to secure by Letters Patent is l. In a piano. the eoinbinatien ofa metal string plate and sound-board support, said plate having a beveled crowning seat, a sound-board bearing sidewise along its inargin against said seat the latter' extending in the general direction of the plane of the sound-boardj and means for clamping said margin to said seat.

2. In a piano, theeoinbination of a metal string plate and sound-board support, said plate having a beveled crowning seat, a sound-board having its marginal portion clamped sidewise against said seat to Crown the board and secure it to the string plate, the angle of the crowning seat being approximately eighty-seven degrees, and means for clamping said marginal portion to said seat.

3. In a piano, the combination of a, metal string plate and sound-board support having beveled crowning flanges extending rearwardly therefrom. a sound-board, andy means at the opposite side of said board from said lianges and in registry therewith for uniformly clamping the margin of the soundboard tlatwise against the beveled faces of said fianges to hold'the sound-board in predetermined .standard tension.

a, A self-contained, interchangeable sounding meehanism 'for pianos, comprising a `metal string plate and a. sound board snpported thereon5 beveled erowning flanges eX- tending rearwardly from the string plate to the sound board at the periphery thereof, and Cooperating devices at thek rear of the sound board and in registry with the said flanges to clamp the margin of the sound board fiat .rise against the beveled faces of the said flangeste hold the sonnd'board in permanent Crowned relation to the string plate.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

JULIAN T. MAYER. EDMOND LEVIS. HERMAN SGHUM. 

